In this episode, Lindy Hughson, managing editor & publisher of PKN Packaging News, hosts a panel with representatives from five of the member companies in the Open IIoT consortium to discuss bringing the Industrial Internet of Things to Australian manufacturing and production processes as part of the transition to Industry 4.0.

The panellists for this discussion are Jim Wallace, sales manager Australian & New Zealand at Balluff, Harry Mulder, principal control engineer at Beckhoff, Wade Leslie, sales manager Australia & New Zealand at Kuka, Max Jarmatz, managing director Oceania at NORD Drivesystems and Jozef Ceh, global accounts manager and digital business development manager at SMC Corporation.

The episode begins with the panellists introducing themselves and describing their company's contribution to the consortium and areas of expertise. We then move on to a discussion on the most common barriers to adoption amongst clients despite many acknowledging that they must improve operations to survive.

With Australia lagging on uptake of IIoT and Industry 4.0, especially compared to Europe, it is important to implement initial solutions that value add within existing processes, demonstrate benefits and then expand to the rest of the plant. The panellists acknowledge the importance of big data and its integral role in supporting statistical analysis through data mining, often with artificial intelligence systems helping to identify opportunities for efficiency improvements, preventative maintenance and reduction in supply chain delays.

The episode wraps with a look at the opportunities provided through responding to COVID restrictions, the importance of open communications to avoid proprietary lock-in and the panellists' views on the future for Australian manufacturing.

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The PKN Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of PKN Packaging News, owned and published by Yaffa Media.

The views of the people featured on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of PKN Packaging News, Yaffa Media, or the guest’s employer. The contents are copyright by Yaffa Media.

If you wish to use any of this podcast’s audio, please contact PKN Packaging News via their website www.packagingnews.com.au or send an email to editor@packagingnews.com.au.

MC: Grant McHerron

Host: Lindy Hughson

Producer: Steve Visscher

PKN Packaging News - © 2021